Lida District and surrounding Region in 1929

from the 1929 Polish Business Directory

Ksiega Adresowa Polski (Wraz z w.m. Gdanskiem) dla Handlu, Przemyslu, Rzemiosli Rolnictwa [Directory of Poland (including Gdansk) for Trade, Industry,Handicraft and Agriculture] The voivodie had eighteen hospitals with 612 beds. The seven "caisses des malades" [clinics to which one paid a regular fee for health care - a bit like modern HMOs] had 24, 835 members. The voivodie was situated in the north-east of the Polish Republic bordered by the Soviet Republic, with a land area of 22,692 km and 800,761 inhabitants or 35.3 per sq. km. 53.9
Polish, 37.7% White Russian, 6.8% Jewish, 2.6% various other nationalities; 51.9% Orthodox, 39.5 Catholic, 9.0% Jewish and 3% other. [sic] The voivodie was agricultural in character. Following the example of other voivodies the east, a short time ago [as of 1929] submitted to Russian domination, the civilization there is very backward, the industry practically nothing, the railways few and the operations primitive. The voivodie of Nowogrodek has eight cities and 89 towns and is divided into
seven districts as follows: Baranowicze (3,497 km2); Lida (6038 km2); Nieswiez (1984 km2) Nowogrodek (2778 km2); Slonim (3118 km2)' Stolpce (1723 km2); and Wolozyn (3545 km2). The major cities of the voivodie are the following:
Nowogrodek (7,696 inhabitants), Baranowicze (11,471), Lida (13,401), Nieswiez (6,840), Slonim (9,643). Stolpce (2,956) and Wolozyn (2,630). Public education found there is on a little elevated level. The following are the education statistics given for the territory of the voivodie of Nowogrodek: 1,057 primary schools, 1,992 instructors, 91,003 students (1.6 instructors per school); 14 intermediate schools with 3,445 students; 4 normal schools (teacher education) with 875 students. The communications routes are few. The shortage of train routes shows harsh effects throughout the voivodie. The roads are, for the most part, in very bad condition. As of 1 January 1928, registered automobiles were 123 cars and eight motorcycles. Agriculture is underdeveloped in this part of the country. Only flax culture manifests a boom of development; in 1927, it covered 12,100 hectares yielding a return of 61,100 quintals of seeds and 59,200 quintals of stems. The land destined for the culture covered 2,289.2 thousands hectares: arable 123.5 (5.4%), forest 661.1 (28.9%), other land fallow 275.0 (12%). The arable land is diverse cultivation: wheat-7,000 ha., rye-229,300 ha., barley-37,100 ha., oats-103,600 ha., potatoes-57,400 ha. The average harvest per hectare adds up to 1,927 per 100 kg as follows: wheat-1.0, rye-9.2, barley-10.4, oats-8.3,
potatoes-98. The 1927 inventory list of the voivodie accounts: 331,955 beasts with horns, 183,147 horses, 198,538 pigs, and 191,354 sheep. Concerning agrarian reforms, 447 rural lands of 42,173 hectares were broken up already in 1925, and in 1926-14,165 hectares of the total of 16,035 hectares destined for this purpose. Already in 1927, 12,782 farms totaling 101,757 hectares, part of 271 localities, were demarked; whereas in 1926, 250 farms of 1,800 hectares in 6 localities were done. The corresponding services of 6,910 farms of 8,788 hectares, part of 454 localities were demarked just in 1927 and in 830 farms of 3,159 hectares being part of 59 localities in 1926. Commerce and Industry: These two factors in economic prosperity are very neglected in the voivodie territory, due to lack of knowledge of the inhabitants. The profusion of forest favors certain parts of the wood industry. One important note: spinning mills and linen weaving, also the tanning industry. Distilling is insignificant, the annual production added up to 429, 000 liters of 100% raw alcohol. The most important commercial centers are Nowogrodek, Baranowicze, Lida, and Slonim.

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